Cristian Michael Vavich

Cristian Vavich, age 35, passed away on the morning of August 26, 2022 in Tyler Texas. He was survived by friends and family, including Leonel and Abigail Mendoza of Tyler, adoptive sisters Michelle Vavich of Austin TX, and Vanessa Vavich of Hockley TX, along with a long list of folks in Tyler & elsewhere that were endeared to him over the years.

Cristian was born in a small village outside of Bucharest Romania in 1987, and was adopted at age 3 and raised in Texas. He grew up in Brazoria County through much of his elementary school years, and then spent the remainder of his youth in foster care across multiple counties in the greater Southeast Texas region. Cristian attended Pearland High School and emancipated from foster care at age 18. As an adult, he lived throughout the Houston area, and eventually landed in Tyler Texas circa 2018.

Cristian was a sweet, scrappy, generous, and tenacious individual with a strong work ethic. He was known to work multiple jobs all at once, and tried to do everything he could as fast as he could to get to his goal faster. Friends, colleagues, and family describe him as goofy, loving, loyal, ambitious, and highly driven. Many who knew him as a young adult would have never guessed that he was Romanian Gypsy, nor that English was not his first language. As an adult, he went by the name Eric or Blake at times, as well as Michael, which serendipitously became his middle name.

As a young child learning English, he used to watch episodes of the children's show Barney and was fascinated by this All-American blonde haired blue eyed character named Michael, and often wanted to be referred to as Michael when he was young. He learned much of his English through Barney and Disney movies, including favorites of Aladdin & The Little Mermaid, along with his fondness of the movie Home Alone. Later in life, he loved the world of Dragon Ball Z, and was very enamored with the character of Goku as an adult. Cristian was very much a character himself, and while he may not have always understood things in more traditional ways, he always sought out love and kindness, at times to his own detriment.

His older sisters would like to thank everyone who loved him, aimed to protect him, and took him under their wing over the years, including Rosemary Llanes of Florida who was his longtime CPS caseworker, the Mendoza family, and many of his friends & family at multiple establishments in Tyler including Whataburger, Domino's Pizza, and Juicy Seafood. Friends & family will be hosting a private memorial in Tyler to come, and encourage folks to donate to any or all of the following groups: The Salvation Army of Tyler, Highway 80 Mission Rescue, Texas Foster Youth Justice Project, and or the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

Additionally if you or someone you know is struggling with an emotional crisis including thoughts of harm or suicide, please reach out to Lifeline via calling or texting 988 directly. Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources for anyone in the community.